Letter: Owen Smith cares about infrastructure

Excerpted from Daily News of Newburyport (link)

“To the editor: 

I first met Owen Smith in March while I was attending a City Council committee hearing on public works and safety. I was there to voice my concerns over high levels of PFAs—known carcinogens dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in your body—that have seeped into our city’s drinking water supply.

We soon learned that we both had little kids in the same daycare and similarly shared a deep interest in improving the city’s water supply to make our tap water not only better tasting but safer to drink. You can spend a lot of money installing a high-tech water filtration system in your home, but what about our schools and daycare centers, where our kids drink water all day long?

What I learned about Owen impressed me, specifically his resourcefulness and civic-mindedness. When his water heater failed on the coldest day of the 2021 winter, he just didn’t replace it. He investigated why it failed and then volunteered to serve on the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners to advocate for better water quality.

While on the board, he focused on ways to protect our watershed, improve our water quality, and shore up the Lower Artichoke Reservoir’s vulnerable earthen dam and spillway, which could allow brackish, bacteria-loaded water from the Merrimack River to flow into our water supply during a major storm. 

Owen is now looking to advocate for the residents of Newburyport as the Ward 5 city councilor. As a civil engineer by training who’s spent his career overseeing transportation safety, he brings a unique lens to this position. He is committed to the belief that objectivity—not politics—should be the determining factor in governmental decisions so that all residents get equal service.

Owen will fight to safeguard our source of drinking water and eliminate dangerous PFAs. He will ensure data-driven analytics are used to improve roadway safety. He’ll push for shared-use pedestrian/bike lanes and paths connecting our city’s rail trails to make Newburyport a safer, healthier place to live.

He will work to make sure the city develops a capital improvement plan that prioritizes getting major projects in the pipeline to secure external funding. Investments in Newburyport Youth Services and our vulnerable infrastructure are at the top of his list.

These are some of the most important issues facing our community today. Owen Smith’s stance on them is why he has my vote.” 

RICHARD WEIR

Newburyport